Elderly bedridden patients are expected to be the ones to suffer the most after the General Workers' Union yesterday reinstated its directives in hospitals and health centres and in homes for the elderly.

In a long-running dispute, nursing aides have been directed to carry out only food-related jobs. This means they will not be assisting nurses in the washing and cleaning of patients or in helping the bedridden get out of bed.

Health assistants and care workers will be following the actions in solidarity with the nursing aides. The union has also directed those working at St Luke's Hospital's outpatients department and health centres not to process medical files or X-Rays while health centre employees are not taking appointments.

Contacted yesterday, Health Minister Louis Deguara said that, while the health authorities respected unions' right to take industrial action, they condemned actions that abused patients in order to reach the union's aims.

As expected, the directives were yesterday having the biggest impact at St Vincent de Paul Residence for the elderly, mainly because of the large number of bedridden patients there.

Although Mount Carmel Hospital was also feeling the effects of the action, the management was coping, said Denis Vella Baldacchino, principal medical officer within the Directorate of Institutional Health.

On the other hand, the impact at St Luke's Hospital was minimal, while at Boffa Hospital, workers in some wards followed directives, while those in others did not, he said.

Dr Vella Baldacchino appealed to the relatives of St Vincent de Paul residents to lend a helping hand so that their loved ones would not have to suffer unduly.

One of the Health Division's main concerns is the risk of pressure sores. Apart from being extremely painful, such sores could be fatal if infected.

The directives were initially enforced at the beginning of last month and were only called off after 12 days. Among other issues, the dispute is over a claim for wage scale 13 for working aides.

The union suspended the talks with the authorities two weeks ago after the government reached an agreement with the Union Haddiema Maghqudin.

The GWU said the discussions would remain suspended until it was granted sole recognition for nursing aides.

In a statement yesterday, the union accused the Health Ministry of dragging its feet with the excuse that it needed to gather more information.

It said the government had been contemplating the issue for five weeks, and since no definite answer had been forthcoming, the union was reinstating the industrial actions.

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